South Tyrol Training Camp

Part 2, 26 - 31 May 2014

"The players are ready to go to their limits. We are increasingly becoming a team."

Joachim Löw took centre-stage for his first press conference since the squad arrived in South Tyrol. He started by talking of the perfect conditions in South Tyrol, and called the hotel and accommodation "sehr, sehr gut". There was nothing to complain about, he said, except perhaps the weather that morning!

He then turned to various squad issues and took questions from the assembled press.

"(When you) see reports you would think that we are in a hospital here but that is not the case," he told reporters in his first news conference since the team's arrival in the Italian Alps for a 10-day camp last week."The players are working very well and as it stands now I am very satisfied. Some are still injured and cannot fully train with the team but they are all training individually and I am very confident that it will work out.""Philipp will start running tomorrow and then we have to see every day. We should not force it," he said, adding that Neuer would continue receiving treatment for an injured shoulder.He said players like Lahm, Schweinsteiger and Neuer would not be affected too much if they missed a few days of training."We assume that all of them will be fully fit within days," said the 54-year-old, sipping an espresso.

"The young players, like Durm and Volland, are making a very, very good impression," Löw said."(Kramer's) chances are good too. He's very secure on the ball, always in a position to receive it and he's top fit and active."My impression of him is absolutely positive."Löw has not yet been able to see Bayern trio Bastian Schweinsteiger, Philipp Lahm or Manuel Neuer in action with all three carrying injuries.Nevertheless, Low says none are at risk of missing the World Cup."I can't see there being any lasting problems," he said. "They are all going to be fit during the World Cup, I've got no concerns."We expect them all to be training fully in the next few days."

"The year in England has done Schürrle good," the 54-year-old said during a press conference."You can see that in his overall body language."He's gained more self-confidence and improved. I've been very happy with him so far in training.""Kroos has also matured and his role this time is not going to be the same as it was at Euro 2012. He's going to be a very important player for us."

"Philipp Lahm's ankle injury has improved a lot and he'll start running tomorrow," the 54-year-old said on Monday."Manuel Neuer needs a bit longer to fully partake in team training, (and) Bastian Schweinsteiger is taking things day to day."Low went on to call on all his squad members to put their club rivalries aside and focus on achieving glory in Brazil, with Germany's World Cup opener against Portugal just 21 days away. "These guys were opponents, (but) now they're teammates and the work they've done in training has been excellent," he added."In 2010 we showed the players footage of how the fans celebrated like mad back in Germany. It gave us a lot of belief." - from goal.com

Other selection points:- Does not see Lukas Podolski in a central striking role.- Mats Hummels will not play as a defensive midfielder.- Philipp Lahm's position will be decided after the friendlies against Cameroon and Armenia. Also depends on the fitness of other players, so no decision can be made at present.- Real Madrid victory in the Champions League will give Sami Khedira a boost. "He is physically stronger week by week."

Jogi Löw: 'Kein Team kann nur Vollgas geben'Jogi also spoke about the high temperatures and humidity in Brazil, and warned that the Germans must adapt their game to suit the conditions.He said they needed 'strong-willed' players who can accept the situation and not complain. "We need to find a mix of very high speed, possession and counter attacks. It will be a different kind of football than the one we know in Europe."

Löw zu den Verletzten: "Sehe dauerhaft keine Probleme" - a summary of the press conference from dfb.de.He spoke of the ever-present expectations for a title, saying "We have to endure the pressure... We will be travelling with an excellent competitive team to Brazil. The players are eager."The match against the U20's he called a "very, very big help", creating a competitive situation that is not available in training.The players, he said, are moving from being "colleagues from competitors, individualists are becoming team players."

27 May 2014

News broke this morning in the media that Jogi had been given a six-month driving ban for 'repeated speeding offences', and a short statement from him has now appeared via the dfb:Zu schnell underwegs, Handy am Uhr: Bundestrainer Jogi Löw - Führerschein weg!Joachim Löw muss Führerschein abgeben - with his statementGermany coach Löw banned for speedingGermany's head coach Joachim Löw insisted on Tuesday he has learnt his lesson after being banned from driving for six months.The 54-year-old must hand over his licence after accruing too many points for speeding and talking on his phone while at the wheel."Of course, I stand by the fact that sometimes, unfortunately, I drive too fast. I know that I need to be reined in," said Löw in a German Football Association (DFB) statement."I have learnt my lesson and will change my driving behaviour. There's no getting round it, I have to live with the consequences and I often use the train now."

DFB-Teamchef Löw: "Held oder Staatsfeind"In an interview with Austrian Kronen Zeitung, Joachim Löw was asked about the past two days and his licence ban and replied (grinning and shrugging) "Actually, I'm not a speeder. I never go faster than 150km/h. But when you drive home at night after a match, it is easy to overlook the limit. So you collect points in Flensburg [the administrative centre of traffic violations in Germany]. I could actually have a chauffeur under the terms of my contract, but sitting back is not for me." He also talks about being calm 14 days before the World Cup, cannot understand the fuss over injuries calling them "part of football" and speaks of the crazy media circus.Löw: "Es bleibt keine Zeit sich zu freuen"More of the interview also appeared in Austrian Kurier, including:Life as a public figure - "Sometimes I would certainly like a little more privacy and a little more space"Players' music in the dressing room - "I cannot listen because it just keep going, boom, boom, boom"Lukas Podolski - "Lukas talks to everyone"Kevin Großkreutz - "Firstly it is not happening here, but with Dortmund, after the Cup Final, so that did not come under my responsibility."Social media - "We have drawn up a code of conduct for the German national team"His time in Austria - "The time in Innsbruck and Vienna was very instructive for me, I was at that time still a relatively young coach and I gained a lot of experience. Of course I experienced personal disappointment with both clubs. That FC Tirol went bankrupt deeply affected me. Nevertheless, now I would say that the months in Innsbruck were the most wonderful time for me as a coach."

Joachim Löw started his press conference by sending his sympathies to those involved in the tragic accident at the sponsors' driving exercise on Tuesday. "I hope the families will pull through this difficult time and that the injured will recover."

"We have worked on a lot of things and I believe we have made a lot of progress, both tactically and physically," he said."Everyone has been very focussed during training and the players are all getting along very well, it's a good atmosphere."Philipp Lahm has been training intensively without any problems and will join team training soon."Lahm and Manuel Neuer won't play against Cameroon on Sunday, (but) there are still two weeks until the World Cup starts, by which time they will be in form."

"Logically, we have a good, competitive team and we'll be one of the favourites in Brazil, It's just the hosts know the conditions, they have home advantage, they won the Confederations Cup have a very settled team," Low said."Then there are others who have justifiable chances to win, but they, like us, are a bit behind Brazil."He said it is too soon to tell whether Germany will be competitive or not with so much still able to change over the next two weeks."The expectation levels change in the space of weeks or months," he said. "If I say something now, it's not to wake people up, it's just the way I see things."That is Brazil are top favourites, then there are others, even the likes of Chile and Colombia as outsiders."Lots has to go right to win a tournament like this. Of course we go there with high expectations, but I think we can cope with that.""The World Cup countdown really begins on Sunday," he said. "It's an opportunity for me to see a few things with the team and individual players, who certainly still have the chance to stake a claim."Then we have to make some important and difficult decisions."

"If something were to happen [to Neuer], I would have absolutely no doubts about Roman [Weidenfeller]," the Schönau native affirmed. "He's a goalkeeper with exceptional quality and an incredibly strong presence on the field. When I watch him in training, I think he's absolutely fantastic. He's also a great gain for us as a person as he is always positive and a good influence on the others. I'm totally convinced of his sporting qualities." - from bundesliga.com

Joachim Löw: "Der Teamgeist ist hervorragend" - a summary of the press conference on dfb.de.Additional points:- "U20's being there was a highlight.. The simulation of opponents worked like a dream. The experiment will certainly be repeated in the future. Frank Wormuth and his team have done well. I believe that it was very important for the young players."- He described Sami Khedira as a "leader" and praised his role on and off the field.

He described the loss of his licence as a "mistake", but that it was irrelevant to the World Cup preparations.

Though the tabloid media circus on many occasions appeared to be focusing their attentions more on what was happening off the training ground and outside of the German squad, and had reported events with their usual exaggerated horror, Jogi had no doubts that the training camp had been a success:

"I can see clear progress being made with the injured players, which is good for me," Löw said at Friday's press conference. "We're now looking forward to Sunday's game, when the World Cup countdown really begins. It's an opportunity for me to see a few things with the team and individual players, who certainly still have the chance to stake a claim for themselves. Then we have to make important and hard decisions." Regardless of the 23 individuals Löw ultimately plumps for in Brazil, he is convinced they will shine as a collective. "I can only say our team spirit is fantastic," said the Germany coach. It's such a pleasure working with this squad. It's incomparable to the one we had in 2012 - they all identify with themselves and with this World Cup." - from from bundesliga.com